School of Government Lowers Tuition, Strengthens Program Value

By Amanda Morad | June 6, 2013

Regent University students in the Robertson School of Government (RSG) have always been held to high academic standards and have been well-positioned for lives of public service, but beginning this fall, that top-quality education will come at a much lower tuition price.

"RSG has looked at the increasingly stiff competition in the marketplace and made major changes," said RSG dean, Dr. Eric Patterson. "The first change is that the university has agreed to reduce the school's tuition by more than $150 a credit hour."

This 20 percent tuition reduction applies to both the Master of Arts in Government and the Master of Public Administration degree programs and reflects a larger university-wide effort to provide top-quality, Christian higher education at a greater value. According to Patterson, smaller payouts are one of several changes being implemented to make the programs more competitive and give students the best possible advantage in the government job market.

"A faculty team, led by Associate Dean Jeffry Morrison, has recommended that we align our required credit hours to those of top-ranked schools such as Georgetown and the University of Virginia: 30 hours for the M.A. and 36 hours for the MPA," Patterson explained. "We are working with our accrediting agency to make this change available for current and future students.

"When combined with our tuition restructure, this makes the Robertson School of Government significantly more competitive in the marketplace."

Together, these changes reflect the dean's concerted efforts to strengthen RSG's reputation, increase opportunities for students, and continue to raise the bar of academic rigor across the board.

"RSG has superior faculty, courses, and programs, but we have been appealing to a tiny percentage of the market," Patterson said. "These changes mark a significant step toward making RSG a premier destination for emerging public servants in the United States."